A group of providers who oppose unionization is meeting with the governor Thursday evening at the Capitol. A spokesman for Dayton confirmed the meeting but said no decision is imminent on the issue.

Dayton has been approached by union officials who want to act as bargaining agents for in-home family child care providers. Two unions, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), have been trying to organize the providers. They approached the governor about recognizing the unions as bargaining agents.

Dayton has said he will not do that by executive order, as labor-friendly governors in several states have done, but he may authorize an election among providers.

The group meeting with Dayton includes providers who have argued the union model does not fit private, home-based businesses. The group has also requested that if an election is called, a majority of all 11,000 providers in the state be required to recognize the unions -- not merely a majority of those voting. They are also concerned about whether those who oppose unionization will be required to join.

A Duluth native who just barely lost Virginia's GOP gubernatorial primary said that politicians have not gone far enough in condemning the left for violence during a rally of white nationalists in Charlottesville. "I think that the left is going to try to use this as an excuse to crack down on conservative free speech," said Corey Stewart. "I think they're going to try to use this as an excuse to remove more historical monuments."